Masonry structure.



R. GUASTAVINO. MASONRY STRUCTURE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31,1908.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

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w v m A 6 g w a 1 W r a e M 7 22 ftornqv RAFAEL GUASTAVINO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MASONRY STRUCTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '18, 1910.

Application filed July 31, 1908. Serial No. 446,316.

To all 'I/ltOI/t it may concern:

Be it lUltHVll that l. R'AFAEL GUAs'rAvINO. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn. in the city of New York. in the county of King's and State of New York. have invented certain new antl useful Improvements in Masonry Structures. of which the t'ollowin; is a specification.

The present invention relates to 11111531113)" structures. lnirticularly such as are censtruetetl from tiles. and has especially in view strengthening means therefor. which will PltHlltt't the nzaxiuuun of strength with the minimum of huihling material and expeuse.

'ith the above and other oljijects in view. the present. invention contemplates a one sonry structure whi h may he in the term of arches. domes. walls. or the like. toriuctl of thin tiles having a binding cement or mortar between each course aml cnih thletl in such blotting material. metal reinforcing rotls which extend between the adjo ning rows of the tile. whereby saitl strips are pro tectetl from moisture tllttlthe atmosphere, amt-arc also protected from any direct heat which \Yfitlltl cause them to expantl more rapitlly than the tiles from which the Sllttt. ture is constructed.

In carrying oat the invention, changes in tletaiis and structural arrangement ma be resorted to. but a preferred embodiment. of the same is shown in the accompan}'in; drawings. in which Figure l is a perspective view ol the invention. partly in section. showing the ap plication of the same to a dome. Fig. is a similar view. partly broken away. showing a iletail of the crown or central portion of a tlouie. Fin. 3 is a perspective view. partly in section. showing: the application of my invention to an arch. Fig. l is a seetioltal view on the line {11- a: of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective View. partly in section amt partly broken away, of a section otan arch. Fig. (5 is an elevation. partly in section anti partly broken away. showing no invention as applied to a wall or partition.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts.

Referring, to the accompanying drawings. it will be observed that the present invention has been shown as applied to three forms of masonry structures t'tons trnetetl from tiles, that is, in Fig. 1, a reinforced subjected.

tile clome has been shown: in Fig. 3. a reinforced tile arch; and in Fig. ti. a reinforced tile wall; but it. will, of course. be untler- St'OOt'l that these are but three of many forms of structures to which the invention is a 'iplicahle.

In Fig. l of the drawings, the invention has been shown as in use in connection with domes air! by refereture to the figure. it will be seen that the rloine 1 i formed of a plurality of layers or twulrses o1 thin tlal tact i tile or slabs 2 ltllti mine to Otlfijt? and which are so laitl as to overlap all joints. the tiles being nnitetl through the medium of suitable hintline cement. mortar or the like. 3. itemforcing or strengthening rods 4 are con hctltletl in the binding" material in the itiitits between tl1ctile .sotl1at the honijlctl strength of the whole structure is not in any way itsstllitl h the introduction of these rotls. The TOti-i are preferably of a spiral forth. to secure an interlocking engagement. with the bintlingr material. aial are adapted to extend entirely arountl the dome anti are of such iiinieusious in cross section that they can be readily introduced between the layers of tile without disturbing the general method or scheme of laying; tllltl bowling the tilcs to each other. 'Ihev are also of such size that the worlonancau readily bend or con- .forin them to the form of the structure Without putting any untlue strains upon the materials (luring the course of construction. It is not es ential that these rods should be in the form of continuous bantls extending all around the dome. hut they may be formed of shorter rods with overlapping ends, anrl yet give substantially the same strength through the structure. As the greatest outward thrust of a semicircular dome is near the base, 1 place the metal rods extending around the (ionic closer together near the bottom thereof. as shown in Fig. 1'; varying the size of the rods and increasing the tlistance b tween them from the bottom of the dome npwartl according to the Strains to which the various portions of the dome are \Vhenever necessary to do so on account of strains to which the dome is to be subjected. I also place metal strips or rods .3 radiating from the center of the crown of the (ionic. as shown in Figs. 1 and '2. This I find necessary where a superstructure is mounted upon the top of the dome, subjecting the crown to shearing or crushing strains, and the cross section of these radiating rods 5 I may decrease from the center of the dome outward, as circumstances may re quire. thereby obtaining the desired strength with the minimum amount of metal and matcrial.

In l ig. 3. I have shown a tile arch 6 consisting of four layers of thin overlapping tiles 2 bender together by cement, mortar or other suitable bonding material, 3, resting upon a base or supporting wall 7. Reinforcing or strengthening rods 8 are embedded in the bonding material, said rods extending entirely across the span of the arch and into the masonry structures or walls 7. These rods may be either a single red extending from base to base of the arch, or consist of a number of rods with overlapping ends. As shown in Fig. 5, I may also employ transverse rods 9 which are embedded in the bonding material between the courses of tile, for the purpose of preventing the arch from separating laterally. As shown in the drawings, these rods may be of such a size and number as to give to the arch the requisite strength. As shown in Fig. 5, I may also employ rods 13 running through the arch from near the lower face toward the upper face. These rods 13 I find necessary where the arch is of considerable thickness and carries a heavy load, in order to overcome the tendency 0 such arches to shear or separate between the courses of tiles. 7

In Fig. 6, the invention has been shown as in use in connection with. walls or partitions, 10, also formed of a plurality of layers or courses of tiles 2, which are laid on edge so as to overlap all joints, the tiles being united through the medium of suitable binding cement, mortar or the like, 3, in which are laid vertical reinforcing or strengthening rods 11, and horizontal reinforcing or strengthening rods 12, such rods 11 and 12 being of such size and so spaced from each other as to give to the wall or partition the desired strength without increasing the thickness of the wall. By the means described. I am able to entirely conceal the strengthening rods in all the structures shown, and to lay the tiles without disturbing the general method or scheme of the structure, and without in any way lessening the bonded strength of the structure, and the strengthening rods are protected from moisture and from the atmosphere, and also from heat. which is particularly desirable in case of fire. I am also able to increase the size and strength of partition walls without. increasing their thickness, and find that. it is possible to construct arches or domes having spans or dianlet of ninety to one hundred feet from three or four courses of thin tiles, which was not heretofore possible. I am aware that heretofore in the construction of tile arches, iron beams with flanges I or T shaped in cross section have been used, together with cross anchors consisting of rods running through the web of such beams. These beams have, however, been necessarily of such depth that the webs thereof have extended up into the tile material so far that a number of layers of tile have necessarily abuttcd against the web of such beams and thereby separated the arch or structure into' sections, thus to a large ex tent disturbing the lateral bonded strength and homogeneity of the mass. These I or T beams heretofore used have also been provided with a web of very considerable depth, far greater than the load which they were to carry required, in order to prevent undue deflection of the beam through its own weight when placed in osition. For the sake of economy, it was a so found necessary to space them at considerable distances from each other. This resulted in the production of a structure of unequal strength, the strongest part of the structure being adjacent to the beam and the weakest part being at the greatest distance therefrom. It was also found necessary to finish or complete such beams at the mill or shop where they were [constructed and their conformation could not be in any way changed in order to adapt them to unusual conditions arising during the progress of the work, and they were ob jectionable because they were expensive and very difficult to manipulate, and they proved impracticable for use in large domes, domic vaults or groin arches, and many other structures.

All of these difficulties and disadvantages I have overcome through my invention.

It will be observed that in all embodiments of the invention the distinctive thought resides in a plurality of parallel superposed courses of thin tiles, the tiles in each course bein laid edge to edge and arranged to break oints crosswise of the structure, in connection with binding material between the tile in the separate courses and also between the edges of adjoining tiles.

Claims:

1. A reinforced masonry structure, comprising a lurality of superposed courses of thin tile s abs, the slabs in each course being fiushly laid edgewise with their thin edges arranged edge to edge, said slabs being also so.disposed as to break joints cross-wise of the structure, binding material between the tile slabs in the separate courses, and also between the edges of adjoining tile slabs, and reinforcement lying in the binding material.

2. A. reinforced masonry structure comprising a lurality of superposed courses of thin tile s abs, the slabs in each course being laid edge'tonedgc and arranged to break joints crossise of the structure, binding material between the tile s'labs in the separate courses and also between the edges of adjoining tile slabs, reinforcement lylng in the joints between the courses, and reinforcement lying in the joints between the edges of the tile slabs.

3. A reinforced masonry arch, comprising a pluralit of superposed courses of thin tiles, the t les in each course being laid edge to edge and arranged to break joints crosswise of the structure, binding material between the tile in the separate courses and also between the edges of adjoining tiles, and reinforcement lyin in the joints between the courses and aio in the joints between the edges of the tiles.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan in the city, county and State of New York, this 17th day of July, A. D. 1908.

RAFAEL GUASTAVINO. Witnesses:

EGBERT V. NELsoN, \V. H. SEIDEL. 

